Yum Sweet Potato Fries

Katie made a comment about sweet potato fries on a previous blog. I'm not ashamed to tell you that my mind drifted off to sweet potato land. I stayed there for a thirty minutes at the least. I love sweet potatoes. It took awhile for me to realize the absolute perfection of the Ipomoea batatas tuber. Growing up the only sweet potato that came across my plate was of canned variety and then only at holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was always covered in mini marshmallows and usually burned to a "bloody crisp" (an expression coined by my Grandma Mac.) My mother would over-purchase cans of the goop, over cook it, and over-guilt trip guests. She would pretty much over do anything. It was not until I was much older that a friend showed me the ecstasy of the orange fleshed food. Since then I have searched out restaurant menus in search of them. A few chains, like Texas Roadhouse serve them here in my mountain state. I love taking trips to the South so that I may partake of sweet brewed tea and sweet potatoes. Maybe everything is sweeter in the South. Since Shelly doesn't like them I'm left to buy, cook and eat them all by myself. I've no problem with that. Following is a recipe for Sweet Potato Fries, they are actually baked. I got the original recipe from Our Best Bites blog and have tweaked it to my liking. Sorry I've got no silly pictures but I will have my camera ready this sweet potato holiday season. The Hound Dog loves them too! Maybe it is her southern roots. Aren't Bloodhounds from the south?


Baked Sweet Potato Fries

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes or about 1 1/4 pounds.
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t oregano
1 t kosher salt
1 t parsley
fresh ground pepper


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray or run a stick of butter over it.

Slice your sweet potatoes into french fry shape or whatever shape you like. Jolene likes big potatoes so she can use her cookie cutters to make shaped fries. I like crispy fries so I slice fairly thin. Cutting them larger, like steak fries, will sometimes result in a big soggy mess, so stay small to get the best results.

I guess a straight laced person would want them all about the same size, so some don't get over crispy and others mushy. I'm not that way. I like the variety but do what you like the best.

Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over them. Use your hands to make sure each one is coated. If you've got more than a pound of sweet potatoes, add a little extra olive oil. They should all be glistening, just eyeball it.

Then sprinkle on all of the herbs and spices and continue to toss until well coated.

Place the fries on the baking sheet. The original recipe said to make sure they are not touching but again I'm a rebel...just go with it.

Place cookie sheet in pre-heated oven and set the timer for 15 minutes or 14.27 minutes. Don't open the oven door, not even for a peak! Let them do their thing.

After 15 minutes take pan of oven and flip the fries. Be careful because at this point they're quite soft.

Put the pan in the oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Just keep an eye on them. They should be nice and golden brown. Crispy crunchy on the outside, and sweet and soft in the middle.

Take them out of the oven and serve immediately. They cool off very quickly so they're best eaten right away. Serves about 4 or one of me and a Hound.

Here is a recipe for a dip for your fries. I like them plain but some people just have to dip. I've no idea if it is any good, alas I'm allergic to honey!

Honey-Lime Dip for Sweet Potato Fries

6oz container plain, low-fat yogurt
1 T mayo (low cal is fine)
1/2 T honey
1/2 lime
1/4 t cumin
1/8 t oregano
1 t parsley
1/2 t granulated onion
3/4 t kosher salt

Mix honey and yogurt until combined and give it a big squeeze from the lime half. Add in spices and herbs and you have a dip.

Hope everyone has a very splendid Thanksgiving day. Ask me and I'll tell ya about our turkey this year!